Fashion and its definiation

I did not realize how much my thoughts on fashion had grown if I am not reflecting it today. I remembered the very first day my answer to the question about defining fashion is that” Fashion is a way people express themselves through dress practices.” Which I still agree to, but have many to add on. At the very beginning of the semester, I viewed fashion as if it is art, within or without the society, it will remain its values either way. Fashion is different, fashion only values while if it is happening within society.  In the reading Adorned by Dreams by Elizabeth Wilson, she muses, “Dress is the frontier between the self and the not-self.” It is a way of communication, a type of visualized, more straight forward way to express messages. My determination in fashion has grown to become more clear. Fashion is not only a layer of skin, which we put it on and wait for others to notice it. It could be a very effective weapon. Christopher Breward once said, “Fashion does not define. It is instead a term that demands definition.” It changes shape as how people choose to use it. For example, one week we talked about fashion and race. It is interesting how fashion always gets bad news with race, whichever brands have another culture appreciation and lead to huge debates, while it always helped educate people about that culture and leave with more chances of cultural appreciation in the future.

Fashion is powerful as I have already mentioned above, unlike poetry, it normally spreads messages right to the point, while its affection is obvious if succeeded. I am a storyteller, I love to share my minds through all kinds of format such as visual art, music, and film. However, none of these formats could compete with fashion with the aspect of speed and its wide range. I’ll always put that as a part of the consideration if I’ll need to have a conversation with the world.



Wilson, Elizabeth. Adorned in Dreams. (New Brunswick, 2003).

Breward, Christopher. “Foreword.” In Fashion Studies: Research Methods, Sites and Practices, edited by Heike Jenss, xvii-xx. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016.

Jun Zheng Parsons 2022 Fashion design

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